The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 6-oct-54-Chantonnay.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The press quoted a dispatch from the AFP (Agence France Presse) for October 7, 1954, saying that two Parisians on holiday in the town of Mouchamp, Mr. and Mrs. Laroche, said they had seen, at dusk, an incandescent sphere.
Also quoting the A.F.P. dispatch as a source, French ufologist Jacques Vallée indicated in the 1960s that it was on October 6, 1954, at nightfall, and that Mr. and Mrs. Laroche of Paris saw the incandescent sphere land near Chantonnay.
It seems that nothing more has been learned about this.
[Ref. nnm1:] NEWSPAPER "LE NOUVEAU NORD MARITIME":
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Limoges, 7. -- A farmer from Chaleix (Dordogne), Mr. Garreau said on honor that he had seen a "flying soup tureen" land on his property. Mr. Garreau stated that two perfectly normal men, dressed in khaki overalls, got out, shook his hand, and spoke to him in an unknown language. Mr. Garreau, amazed, did not respond. The two men petted his dog and climbed back into their craft; which flew away silently at a dizzying pace.
At the place indicated by Mr. Garreau, it was found that the grass had been trampled.
La Rochelle, 7. -- A mason living on the Ile de Ré, Mr. Simonetti, said he saw a luminous sphere of 12 meters in diameter approximately which oscillated at about fifty meters from the ground.
The sphere, he said, turned red, turned blue, and rose vertically very quickly.
Two other residents of the Ré Island said they had witnessed the same phenomenon.
Two Parisians on vacation in the town of Mouchamps Mr. and Mrs Laroche, claimed to have seen, at nightfall, a incandescent sphere.
Dijon, 7. -- Mrs. Thérèse Fourneret, 23 years old, living in Poncey-sur-l'Ignon (Côte d'Or), saw, Monday evening, a craft land in a meadow not far from her home. She said that she was frightened and had been careful not to observe this phenomenon any longer and had taken refuge with neighbors. The gendarmerie revealed very clear traces on the ground at the indicated place. Clods of earth were allegedly torn off and thrown off on a four-meter radius.
Rouen, 7. -- Mr. Landrin, a water attendant in Duclair (Seine-Inférieur) who was walking with his wife, was blinded by a beam of light. When he opened his eyes, he said, he saw a ball that disappeared a few minutes later.
Finally, saucers, cigars, discs, crowns, balls, lights, luminous streaks of various colors and all other objects were seen in Saint-Etienne, in several villages of the Eure et Loir, in Heyrieux (Isère), Dieulanvallon (Côtes du Nord), Ajort (Calvados) and in Biarritz.
The flying saucer is not (always) a weather balloon
Melun, 7. -- Mr. E. Farnier, member of the Society of Civilian Engineers of France declares to have seen, above his property in Jouy-sur-Morin, a large disc of 8 to 10 meters in diameter "rotating on the spot letting red-purple gleams escape, with a hissing sound reminding a bit of the arrival of a jet plane. The craft was about 400 meters high and hovered more than 20 minutes above me, said Mr. Farnier, so I had the opportunity to examine it carefully. The craft then disappeared in the direction of Coulommier."
Mr. Farnier specifies: "Former commissioner of the the Aero-Club of France, having served in aviation, I was not the victim of a hallucination and this machine was not a sounding balloon but a thick circular wing hovering on the spot and moving at very high speed gradually increasing its height."
[Ref. nll1:] NEWSPAPER "NORD LITTORAL":
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LIMOGES, October 7.
A farmer from Chaleix (Dordogne), Mr. Garreau, said on his honor that he saw a "flying tureen" land in his property. Mr. Garreau stated that two perfectly normal men, dressed in khaki overalls, got out, shook his hand, and spoke to him in an unknown language. Mr. Garreau amazed did not respond. The two men petted his dog and climbed back into their craft, which flew away silently at a dizzying pace.
At the place indicated by Mr. Garreau, it was found that the grass had been trampled.
LA ROCHELLE, October 7.
A mason living on the Island of Ré, Mr. Simonnetti, said he saw a luminous sphere of about 12 meters in diameter which was oscillating about fifty meters from the ground.
The sphere, he said, turned red, turned blue, and rose vertically very quickly.
Two other residents of the Island of Ré said they had witnessed the same phenomenon.
Two Parisians on vacation in the town of Mouchamps, Mr. and Mrs. Laroche, claimed to have seen, at nightfall, an incandescent sphere.
DIJON, October 7.
Mrs. Thérèse Fourneret, 23, living in Poncey-sur-l'Ignon (Côte d'Or), saw, Monday evening, a craft land in a meadow not far from her home. She said that she was frightened and had been careful not to observe this phenomenon any longer and had taken refuge with neighbors. The gendarmerie recorded very clear traces on the ground at the place indicated. Clods of earth had been torn off and thrown within a radius of four meters.
ROUEN, October 7.
Mr. Landrin, a water attendant in Duclair (Seine-Inférieur) who was walking with his wife, was blinded by a beam of light. When he opened his eyes, he said, he saw a ball that disappeared a few minutes later.
***
Finally, saucers, cigars, discs, crowns, balls, lights, streaks of various colors and all other objects were seen in Saint-Etienne, in several villages of Eure and Loir, at Heyrieux (Isère), Dieulanvallon (Côtes du Nord), Ajort (Calvados) and Biarritz.
[Ref. jps1:] NEWSPAPER "LE JOURNAL DU PAS-DE-CALAIS ET DE LA SOMME":
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Chaumont, 7. -- Mr. André Narcy, 48, roadmender in Mertrud (Haute-Marne), was on his way to work by motorcycle when near Voillecomte, at 7 a.m. there he noticed in an path, at a place called "la Vieille Tuileries", an orange object.
As he got closer, he noticed that he was in the presence of an object unknown to him. The roadmaker stopped his machine and walked to about a hundred meters from the object.
It was then that he saw nearby a small being about 1.20 m. tall and dressed in a coat covered with hair. Mr. Narcy was very scared and lay down on the ground, then he called the man. The latter, after turning to him, rushed into his machine which immediately flew vertically to get lost in the clouds.
According to Mr. Narcy, the object was spherical, about ten meters in diameter. Under the sphere was a kind of spindle and the porthole through which the being entered the craft was right between the spindle and the body of the craft. At the start of the latter, a kind of flame came out of the spindle while a large vaporous eddy occurred under the craft.
Mr. Narcy went immediately to his work where he told of his adventure to his comrades. With two of them, MM. Riel and Henry, he returned to the place where he noticed that the dew no longer existed on a certain surface. The grass had a slightly milky hue and was crushed on a square about three meters aside. In addition, 12 parallel tracks resembling round footprints were spread over a certain distance, suggesting that the craft had landed by a series of small jolts.
Limoges. -- A farmer from Chaleix (Dordogne), Mr. Arreau, said on his honor that he saw a "flying tureen" land in his property. Mr. Garreau stated that two perfectly normal men, dressed in khaki overalls, got out, shook his hand and spoke an unknown language to him. Mr. Arreau, amazed, did not respond. The two men petted his dog and climbed back into their craft, which flew silently away at a dizzying pace.
At the place indicated by Mr. Garreau, it was found that the grass had been trampled.
La Rochelle. -- A mason living on the Island of Ré, Mr. Simonetti, saw a luminous sphere of about 12 meters in diameter, which oscillated at a fifty meters from the ground.
The sphere, he said, turned red, turned blue and rose vertically very quickly.
Two other inhabitants of the Ile de Ré have witnessed the same phenomenon.
Two Parisians on vacation in the town of Mouchamps, Mr. and Mrs. Laroche, claimed to have seen, at nightfall, an incandescent sphere.
Dijon, 7. -- Mrs. Thérèse Fourmeret, 23 years old, living in Poncey-sur-l'Ignon (Côte d'Or), saw a craft land in a meadow not far from her home. She said that, frightened, she had been careful not to observe this phenomenon any longer and had taken refuge with neighbors. The gendarmerie noted very clear traces on the ground at the place indicated. Clods of grass had been torn off and thrown within a four-meter radius.
Rouen. -- Mr. Landrin, attendant of the Waters at Duclair (Seine-Inférieure), who was walking with his wife, was blinded by a beam of light. When he opened his eyes, he saw a ball which disappeared a few minutes later.
Finally saucers, cigars, discs, crowns, balls, glow, luminous trail of various colors and all other flying objects were seen in Saint-Etienne, in several villages of Eure-et-Loir, in Heyrieux (Isère), Dieulanvollon (Côtes du Nord), in Ajort (Calvados) and in Biarritz.
[Ref. cpd1:] NEWSPAPER "LE COURRIER PICARD":
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LIMOGES, October 7. -- A farmer from Chaleix (Dordogne), Mr. Garreau, said on his honor that he had seen a "flying tureen" land in his property. Mr. Garreau said that two perfectly normal men, dressed in khaki overalls, got out. They shook his hand and spoke to him in an unknown language. Mr. Garreau, amazed, did not answer. The two men petted his dog and climbed back into their craft; which flew away without a noise, at a dizzying pace.
CHAUMONT, October 7. -- Mr. André Narcy, 48, roadmender in Mertrud (Haute-Marne), was driving to work by motorcycle yesterday morning when near Voillecomte at 7:15 a.m., he noticed in a field, at the place called "La Vieille Tuilerie", an orange object. When he got closer he noticed that he was in the presence of a craft unknown for him.
The roadmender stopped his machine and, by foot, reached a hundred meters from the object. This is when he saw nearby, a small being of 1.20 m. tall and dressed in a mantle covered with hair.
Mr. Narcy was very frightened and lay down on the ground, then he called the individual. The latter, after turning to him, rushed into his craft which immediately flew vertically to get lost in the clouds.
According to Mr. Narcy, the object was spherical, about ten meters in diameter. Under the sphere was a kind of spindle and the porthole through which the being entered in the craft was between the spindle and the body of the craft.
Continued on second page under the title:
THE SAUCERS
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(Continued from the 1st page)
At the start of the latter, a kind of flame came out of the spindle, while a large vaporous eddy occurred under the craft.
Mr. Narcy immediately went to work where he told his comrades of his adventure. With two of them, MM. Riel and Henry, he returned to the place where he noticed that the dew no longer existed on a certain surface. The grass had a slightly milky hue and was crushed on a square about three meters aside. In addition twelve parallel traces resembling imprints of round feet, were distributed over a certain distance, suggesting that the craft had landed by a series of small jolts.
A mason living on the island of Ré, Mr. Simonnetti, said he saw a luminous sphere of about 12 meters in diameter which oscillated at about fifty meters from the ground.
"The sphere, he said, turned red, turned blue and rose vertically very quickly."
Two other residents of the Island of Ré said they had witnessed the same phenomenon.
Two Parisians on vacation in the town of Mouchamps, Mr. and Mrs. Laroche, said they saw, at nightfall, an incandescent sphere.
Mrs. Thérèse Fourmeret, 23, living in Poncey-sur-l'Ignon (Côte-d'Or), saw, Monday evening, a craft landing in a meadow not far from her home. She declared that, frightened, she had been careful not to observe this phenomenon any longer and had taken refuge with neighbors.
The gendarmerie noted very clear traces on the ground, at the place indicated. Clods of grass had been torn off and thrown within a four-meter radius.
Mr. Landrin, water attendant at Duclair (Seine-Inférieure), who was walking with his wife, was blinded by a beam of light. When he opened his eyes again, he said, he saw a ball that disappeared a few minutes later.
Finally, saucers, cigars, discs, crowns, balls, lights, luminous streaks of various colors and all other flying objects were seen in Saint-Etienne, in several villages of the Eure-et-Loir, in Heyrieux (Isère), Dieulanvollon (Côtes-du-Nord), Ajort (Calvados) and in Biarritz.
[Ref. vmr1:] NEWSPAPER "VAR-MATIN REPUBLIQUE":
Limoges, October 7. -- A farmer of Chalaix (the Dordogne), Mr. Gareau, claimed on his honor, to have seen a "flying soup tureen" come to land on his property. Mr. Gareau stated that two perfectly normal men covered of khaki suits came out of it, shook hands with him and spoke a language unknown to him. Mr. Gareau, amazed, did not answer. The two men caressed his dog and went up in their apparatus which flew away without noise at a vertiginous pace. At the place indicated by Mr. Gareau, it was noted that the grass had been pressed.
A mason, residing on the Island of Ré, Mr. Simonetti, has stated to have seen a luminous sphere of approximately 12 meters in diameter, which scintillated at about fifty meters from the ground.
The sphere, he said, became red, turned blue and rose vertically very quickly.
Two inhabitants of the Island of Ré stated to have been pilot of the same phenomenon. Two Parisians on holiday in the community of Mouchamp, Mr. and Mrs. Laroche, claimed to have seen, at the fall of night, an incandescent sphere.
Mrs. Thérèse Fourneret, 23 years old, living in Poncey-sur-Lignon (Côte d'Or) saw Monday evening, a machine come to land in the meadow not far from her residence. She stated that, frightened, she had taken refuge at neighbors'. The gendarmerie noted very clear traces on the ground at the indicated place. Turfs had been torn off and projected in a radius of 4 meters.
Mr. Landrin, employee with the Waters in Duclair (the Seine Inférieure) who was wandering in company of his wife, was blinded by a beam of light. When he reopened the eyes, he said, he saw a ball which disappeared a few minutes later.
Finally, saucers, flying cigars, crowns and all other objects were seen in St Etienne, in several villages of the Eure et Loir, in Heyrieux (the Isère), Dieulanvallon (the Côtes du Nord), Ajot (the Calvados) and in Biarritz.
[Ref. fas1:] NEWSPAPER "FEUILLE D'AVIS":
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LA ROCHELLE, 8. - A mason inhabiting the island of Ré, Mr. Simonnetti, said he saw a luminous sphere 12 meters in diameter which hovered at about fifty meters from the ground.
The sphere, has he said, became red, turned blue and rose very quickly vertically.
Two other Ré Island residents said they witnessed the same phenomenon.
Two Parisians on holiday in the town of Mouchamps, Mr. and Mrs. Laroche, claimed to have seen, in the dark, a glowing sphere.
Thérèse Fourmeret, 23, inhabitant of Poncey-sur-l'Ignon (Côte-d'Or), saw a craft to land in a field near his home. She declared that frightened she had been careful to observe this phenomenon longer and sought refuge with neighbors. The gendarmerie noted very clear traces on the ground where indicated. Turfs had been torn off and projected within four meters.
A Duclair, near Rouen, Mr. Landrin, attendant to the waters, who was walking with his wife, was blinded by a light beam. When he opened his eyes, he said, he saw a ball that disappeared a few minutes later.
Finally saucers, cigars, discs, rings, balls, lights, bright streaks of various colors and all other flying objects have been seen in Saint-Etienne, in several villages of Eure-et-Loire, Dieulanvollon (Côtes-du Nord), in Heyrieux (Isère), in Ajort (Calvados) and Biarritz.
A farmer of Chaleix (Dordogne), Mr. Garreau said on his honor that he saw a "flying soup tureen" arise in his property, Mr. Garreau said two perfectly normal men, dressed in khaki suits are down, shook his hand and him spoke an unknown language. Mr. Garreau stunned did not respond. The two men patted his dog and went up in their apparatus which flew away without noise at a vertiginous pace.
At the place indicated by Mr. Garreau, it was found that the grass had been trampled.
[Ref. gqy1:] GUY QUINCY:
October 6 [, 1954]
[... other cases...]
Evening: Mouchamps (10 km N.Chantonnay--Vendée): disc 5 m diameter on the ground
[... other cases...]
[Ref. gqy2:] GUY QUINCY:
October 6, 1954: Mouchamps (10 km ISL at the N. of Chantonnay--Vendée): (landing circular craft)
[Ref. jve5:] JACQUES VALLEE:
| 246 | 001.06028 | 46.77840 | 06 | 10 | 1954 | MOUCHAMPS-VENDEE | F | 001 | G |
[Ref. gal1:] CHARLES GARREAU AND RAYMOND LAVIER:
The authors indicate that on October 6 at the fall of night in Chantonnay in Vendée, Mr and Mrs Laroche of Paris saw a glowing sphere landing near the borough.
They refer to Jacques Vallée's case #200 and comment that the information is sparse.
[Ref. jve7:] JACQUES VALLEE - "HISTORIA" MAGAZINE:
Mr. amd Mrs Laroche, of Paris, saw a glowing sphere land near Chantonnay.
[Ref. jve1:] JACQUES VALLEE:
200
Oct. 06, 1954 Mouchamps (France).
Mr. and Mrs. Laroche, from Paris, saw a fiery sphere landing near Chantonnay. (40) (AFP, Oct. 7, 1954).
[Ref. jve2:] JACQUES VALLEE:
The author indicates that on October 6, 1954, with fallen the night close to Mouchamps in the Vendée, two Parisian saw landing a circular apparatus describes like an "ignited sphere".
[Ref. ldl1:] MAGAZINE D'UFOPLOGIE "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT":
[...] a supposed landing in Chantonnay on 10/6/1954. [...]
[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The two authors indicate that on October 6, 1954 at 06:30 p.m. in Chantonnay in the department of Vendée, a couple saw an incandescent sphere landing. The authors note that the information is sparse.
The authors indicate that the source is case 200 of the Vallée catalogue, and Quincy.
[Ref. gep1:] UFOLOGY GROUP "GEPO":
| 10/6/54 | (dusk) | Mouchamp (Vendée) | 107AX |
[Ref. mft1:] MICHEL FIGUET:
| Nr of the J. C. Fumoux list | N° of the Francat list | Localization | Date | Class | Credibility | Sources | Number of W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 042 | 138 | Mouchamps, Chantonnay | 06/10 | CE1 | D [=Dubious] RS [=sparse information] C.V. [=[jve1]] | 2-p.126 [=[fru1]] | 2 W |
[Ref. lgs1:] LOREN GROSS:
October 6th. Chantannay [sic], France, (dusk)
A Paris couple, M. and Mme. Laroche, were travelling near Chantannay at sundown on the 6th [of OCtober 1954] when they witnessed the "landing of a fiery globe." No other detail is available. 61.
[Ref. goe1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
The Belgian ufologist indicates in her catalogue that in 1954, in France in Mouchamps at nightfall, towards 18:30, the Laroche couple of Paris saw an incandescent sphere land close to Chantonnay.
The sources are indicated as "A.F.P., 7 oct 1954; Jacques Vallée: "Chronique des apparitions ET" - DENOEL 1972 - J'AI LU COLL. - p. 269".
[Ref. djn1:] DONALD JOHNSON:
Encounters with Aliens on this Day...
October 6
1954 - Mouchamps, France. Mr. and Mrs. Laroche, from Paris, saw an incandescent sphere land near Chantonnay at 6:30 p.m. (Sources: Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia, p. 219; Michel Figeut [Figuet] & Jean-Louis Ruchon, OVNI: Le premier dossier complet des rencontres rapprochees en France, pp. 126).
[Ref. jcx1:] "LES MYSTERES DE VENDEE" WEBSITE:
The webmaster indicates that in Chantonnay, the Vendée, on October 6, 1954, a case for which he has only few sources only allows to quote the short summary by Charles Garreau and Raymond Lavier in "Face Aux Extraterrestres", 1975, Jean-Pierre publisher.
He notes an uncertain date issue in his sources and then gives the summary by Garreau and Lavier.
[Ref. jcx2:] "LES MYSTERES DE VENDEE" WEBSITE:
In his case listing "UFOs in the Vendée", the author notes this case:
Chantonnay, 6 October 1954
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates that in the Vendée in Chantonnay on October 6, 1954 at 18:30 hours, "a couple see an incandescent sphere landing. Information is brief."
The source is indicated as "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... by Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979".
[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that on 6 October 1954 in Monchamps, France, "Mr. and Mrs. Laroche, from Paris, saw a fiery sphere landing near Chantonnay. One ball was observed (Laroche)."
The source is indicated as "Vallee Magonia Database".
[Ref. nip1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":
*Oct. 6, 1954 - On this evening Mr. and Mrs. Laroche from Paris saw a fiery sphere land near Chantonnay, Monchamps, France. At 9:30 p.m. near the military barracks in La Fere, France some soldiers saw a strange torpedo-shaped object on the ground 300 meters away. As one of them approached the craft, which stood about 80 cm high, he found himself paralyzed. Finally, at 10:30 p.m. two women, Mrs. Salabrino and her adult daughter, saw a whitish light in the western sky in Villers-le-Lac, France. It seemed to slowly approach the ground, and was later seen between the railway station and the bridge 100 meters away from their house. When it moved, a very bright light was visible under its dark mass. It gave off a flow of sparks and rose, hovered for a moment, and then flew away rapidly. (Sources: Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, cases 200-201; (3) Aime Michel, Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery, p. 138).
[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":
This database recorded this case 5 times:
| Case Nr. | New case Nr. | Investigator | Date of observation | Zip | Place of observation | Country of observation | Hour of observation | Classification | Comments | Identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19541006 | 06.10.1954 | Mouchamps | France | Nightfall | ||||||
| 19541006 | 06.10.1954 | Mouchamps | France | 19.00 | CE II | |||||
| 19541006 | 06.10.1954 | Mouchamps | France | |||||||
| 19541006 | 06.10.1954 | Mouchamps | France | |||||||
| 19541006 | 06.10.1954 | Mouchamps | France | Nightfall | CE I |
[Ref. prn2:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
October 6 1954. Dusk.
MOUCHAMPS (VENDEE : FRANCE)
Mr and Mrs Laroche from Paris saw a fiery sphere land near Chatannay.
Vallee Case 200 citing AFP 7 October 1954.
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Totally insufficient information.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Chantonnay, Vendée, Mouchamp, Monchamps, Laroche, multiple, fiery, sphere, landing
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | April 6, 2007 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | January 20, 2009 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [goe1], [jcx1], [lcn1], [uda1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | June 22, 2010 | Addition [jve5]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | October 6, 2014 | Additions [jve7], [nip1]. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | October 17, 2016 | Addition [fas1]. |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | October 18, 2016 | Addition [lgs1]. |
| 1.5 | Patrick Gross | February 19, 2017 | Addition [ubk1]. |
| 1.6 | Patrick Gross | October 6, 2019 | Additions [ads1], [ldl1], [prn2], Summary. Explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet." |
| 1.7 | Patrick Gross | February 28, 2020 | Addition [nnm1]. |
| 1.8 | Patrick Gross | April 17, 2020 | Addition [nll1]. |
| 1.9 | Patrick Gross | May 22, 2020 | Addition [jps1]. |
| 2.0 | Patrick Gross | June 6, 2020 | Addition [cpd1]. |
| 2.1 | Patrick Gross | April 28, 2022 | Additions [gqy1], [gqy2], [gep1], [mft1]. |
